by Kristen Matwychuk, PHEc
I, like many Canadians, want to support our farmers, agri-food processors, and local businesses that make up our food supply chain. One of the ways to do that is by checking labels and buying Canadian when you can.
While that sounds easy, Canada’s food labelling system is complex. There are many ways the country of origin can be listed on a food label and while some sound similar to one another, a word or two can change the meaning significantly, which can be confusing.
Let’s break down what some of the origin claims on food labels mean to help you find Canadian made foods based on Canada’s food label requirements.
Domestic Foods
Foods that are made in part or fully in Canada are considered domestic and are usually labelled following the domestic labelling guidelines.
- “Product of Canada” labels mean that over 98% of all major ingredients are from Canada and the labour and processing takes place in Canada.
- “Made in Canada” labels means the last major transforming step took place in Canada. It must also include a further statement to say where the ingredients may have been sourced. For example, “Made in Canada from domestic and imported ingredients”.
- For both “Product of Canada” and “Made in Canada” labels, the last major processing step of the food item must take place in Canada.
- If a product says it’s “Canadian …”, the same labeling rules apply as “Product of Canada”. That means it must be made mostly of Canadian ingredients, and manufactured in Canada.
- It’s important to note that “Product of Canada” and “Made in Canada” labels on Canadian food are voluntary. That means that some foods made using Canadian ingredients and even processed fully in Canada may not use either label even when they qualify to. Instead those products just include Canadian principal place of business address.
Here are some examples of domestic food labels I found in my home:
Imported Foods
Foods that are fully manufactured outside of Canada are considered imported and must be labelled according to the country of origin regulations.
- “Imported for/Imported by” followed by the name of the Canadian company that imported the food
- Foreign manufacturer name and business address
- “Product of” followed by a foreign country, with the name and address of the Canadian company that imported or is distributing the product
Here are some examples of imported food labels I found in my home:
Other Food Labels to Watch for:
“… in Canada”
Some products may also have a claim on the label that states a step of the process is done in Canada. Examples include “Processed in Canada”, “Packaged in Canada”, “Prepared in Canada”, among others. These can only be used if they are truthful and only refer to where that specific step in the process took place. The product itself, its ingredients, or the other processing steps may or may not be from Canada or be done in Canada.
Here are two products from my home that use these types of statements:
Additional Canadian Food Symbols
If you see one of the following logos on a product, that indicates the ingredients were grown or raised in Canada and/or the product was processed in Canada. Note, this is not an exhaustive list.
I’ll leave you with one last thought – I know it can feel overwhelming to try to find the origin of your food product. They’re in different spots of the packaging, each food item is different, and the statements are similar with different meaning, but I don’t want you to give up. You will get quicker at it the more you practice.
Kristen is a Professional Home Economist with a degree in Food Sciences from the University of Manitoba’s Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences. She’s passionate about building agriculture and food literacy in Manitoba’s agri-food sector. Professionally, Kristen has built literacy through the development of educational resources and activities for school age kids, testing and promoting recipes, guiding farm tours, and teaching food handler’s certificate courses.
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